Jesse Jackson opposes war

By Prabhat Mehta

The MIT Initiative for Peace in the Middle East kicked off a week of
anti-war activities on campus Monday night with an "all-nighter for peace"
that featured the Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder of the National
Rainbow Coalition.

Jackson, who spoke to an overflow crowd at Kresge Auditorium, pledged
support for United Nations-backed sanctions to remove Iraq from Kuwait, but
opposed the use of force after the expiration of the UN-imposed Jan. 15
deadline for Iraq's withdrawal.

"Sanctions are working," he said. "What's the rush for the artificial
deadline of Jan. 15?"

The military escalation in the Persian Gulf has been "driven by ego needs
and political needs . . . not national security needs," he said.

Jackson, a formal presidential candidate, felt the administration of
President George Bush was acting hypocritically in endorsing UN Security
Council resolutions against Iraq, while ignoring many previous resolutions
and failing to pay "back dues" which he said now amount to $600 million.

A comprehensive peace solution is needed for the region, Jackson stated.
Without an international peace conference which includes consideration for
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a lasting peace will not be reached. "The
UN resolution for an international peace conference on the Middle East,
that pre-dates the Aug. 2, 1990, invasion, must be pursued," Jackson said
at a press conference preceding his Kresge address.

In addition, Jackson saw another road for negotiation in one of the
articles of the UN resolution against Iraq. The third article, Jackson
said, calls for the resolution of differences between Iraq and Kuwait. He
felt this "opens a window for negotiations."

"War no more"

Jackson went beyond the current geopolitical scene, calling for a change
in national opinion on war and defense. "MIT," he said, "do the world a
favor . . . study war no more."

"When there is no hope left, we fight to reflect our emptiness and lack
of vision," he said.

Reminding the crowd that the UN deadline coincides with what would have
been the Rev. Martin

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Luther King Jr.'s 62nd birthday, Jackson asked the crowd to resuscitate his
message of non-violence and social justice. "Justice and peace are
indivisible," he said.

Jackson, who was the last speaker at the Kresge teach-in, which kicked
off the all-nighter for peace, moved the crowd to frequent applause and
received standing ovations both at the beginning of his speech and at its
conclusion.

In addition to the approximately 1200 people in Kresge, overflow crowds
packed into other rooms on campus to watch the event on MIT cable. Members
of the MIT Initiative estimated the total audience on campus to be over
3000. After Kresge was filled, individuals were ushered into Room 9-150,
Lobby 7, Lobby 10 and the Stratton Student Center.

Environmental consequences

discussed by MIT lecturer

Several other speakers preceded Jackson, including MIT Lecturer Joni K.
Seager. Seager, who spoke first, discussed the environmental consequences
of the deployment of multinational troops in the gulf. "The ecology of a
large part of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia has already been destroyed,"
she said.

Seager said Americans tend to ignore the environmental costs of the
military buildup in the gulf because of the racist and imperialistic
characterization of the Saudi desert as a "wasteland." In fact, she said,
the region is part of an important ecosystem.

The deployment has also already strained the limited water supply in the
region and overburdened local waste disposal facilities, Seager said.
Wastes produced by American and other soldiers in the gulf are probably
going into "several big holes," she said.

The consequences of a war in the gulf region would be disastrous to the
greater environment of the Middle East, Seager said. Attacks on Iraqi
chemical facilities along the Tigris River would imperil an important
regional water source and contaminate the Persian Gulf for many years to
come.

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Seager felt the United States needed to "reassess priorities" at home and
formulate a national energy policy aimed at reducing American dependence on
non-renewable natural resources such as oil. Americans must learn to "step
lightly on the earth," she said. This cannot be done by "wearing combat
boots."

Melman calls for

economic conversion

Seymour Melman, professor emeritus of industrial engineering at Columbia
University, said the United States has developed a "permanent war economy."
He criticized American military spending as grossly inefficient and hurtful
to American competitiveness.

The "war economy" has resulted in the "deterioration of both industry and
infrastructure," Melman claimed. "The production process is broken down."

Melman promoted the idea of "economic conversion" from a war economy to a
civilian economy. The United States, he felt, must break its "addiction to
a military economy."

A military economy has resulted in the inability of the United States to
deal seriously with "reversing the arms race."

"The war-making institutions of our country must be disarmed," he said.

Fatima Zaidan of the Union of Palestinian Women's Groups told the Kresge
audience that Arabs do not want war. "Arab people do not need weapons, they
need bread and butter," she said.

Zaidan blamed US policy for promoting aggression in the Middle East. "We
are sick and tired of the West dealing with us as a super-gas station," she
said.

In addition, Zaidan claimed Israel will use a gulf war to carry out what
she characterized as its larger plan of "transfer" -- the mass expulsion of
Palestinians to Jordan.

Events continue this week

The MIT Initiative continues events this week protesting the use of force
to remove Iraq from Kuwait. The Initiative is sponsoring lectures every
night this week. Last night Institute Professor Noam A. Chomsky addressed
the group.

Members of the Initiative are linking their opposition to American
intervention with such domestic policy concerns as the poor and homeless,
racism and race relations, sexism, and economic growth.

Although the week of demonstrations coincides with the UN deadline,
members of the Initiative do not believe their efforts are too late. Many
note that the anti-war protests of the Vietnam War era began only after US
military escalation.

MIT's increased anti-war activity occurs in the midst of heightened
activity throughout Boston and Cambridge. Numerous protests are taking
place in both cities this week.